By
Rahman Owokoniran
The recent article (“Dissecting Wike As PDP’s Poison And Antidote”) by TheNewsGiant’s Felix Oboagwina, urging the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to appease Nyesom Wike at all costs, makes for compelling yet deeply flawed reading. While the piece sparks necessary debate, its central argument that Wike’s continued presence is vital to the PDP’s survival is not only misleading but dangerously misguided.
The author frames Wike as an indispensable demigod within the PDP, suggesting the party would collapse without him. This narrative is not just exaggerated; it is a distortion of reality. No individual, regardless of influence, should hold an entire political organization hostage. The PDP’s strength lies in its collective vision, not in bending to the whims of a single figure. Wike’s contributions to the party, often touted by his supporters, were never acts of altruism. They were strategic investments aimed at consolidating control, a bid to transform the PDP into a personal fiefdom. When the party rightly refused to surrender its autonomy, Wike chose sabotage over solidarity.
The article’s claim that Wike built the PDP is historically inaccurate. He was absent during the party’s formative years and rose to prominence only through roles granted by the PDP itself. His wealth and influence are products of the platform the party provided, a platform he now seeks to dismantle.
Loyalists argue he carried the party financially, but this ignores the transactional nature of his support: it was a means to wield power, not a selfless endeavour. After all, there is a common saying in my place, that if you give a madman a hoe, it is towards himself he will weed. There is nothing altruistic about his actions.
Equally puzzling is the suggestion that Wike, who openly undermines the PDP by aligning with the APC and reportedly backing President Tinubu’s 2027 ambitions, should still be pacified. How does destabilizing one’s own party to strengthen a rival qualify as loyalty? The logic is nonsensical. If Wike truly valued the PDP, he would prioritize its revival over prolonging APC’s tenure. Instead, his actions reek of political opportunism, leaving the party fractured while he hedges bets on a future alliance.
The article’s plea to placate Wike at all costs also overlooks the PDP’s enduring foundation: its veteran members and structures that predate him. These stakeholders, many of whom helped build the party, remain capable of steering it forward. To claim the PDP cannot survive without Wike insults their legacy and resilience. Moreover, the article’s fear mongering that Wike could be the last man standing ignores a critical truth: those who abandon their party’s ideals rarely outlast the institutions they betray.
The PDP’s path to renewal lies not in appeasing a disruptive figure but in enforcing discipline, reasserting its core values, and mobilizing beyond personality-driven politics. Wike, having inflicted maximum damage, offers no constructive value. His exit is an opportunity to rebuild with clarity and unity.
To heed the article’s advice would be to prioritize short-term survival over long-term integrity. The PDP must choose: remain shackled to a man actively undermining its goals, or courageously reclaim its identity as a party of the people.
The answer is clear. Cutting ties with Wike isn’t just strategic it’s essential for the PDP’s future, and for Nigeria’s democracy.
OWOKONIRAN WRITES FROM LAGOS
Finally! Someone is saying what we are all thinking.
They should show wike the way out of the party he only think of him self not thinks about the other people in the party